


if not, winter

by Philosoferre



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Captain America AU, Gen, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Winter Soldier AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 17:22:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15442077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Philosoferre/pseuds/Philosoferre
Summary: Cosette tries to slide her thumb through the device - handcuff, whatever it is - keeping her hands locked. It’s a good, temporary distraction. “It was her,” she whispers, voice raw with the grief she’s been trying to push down. “It was her, I know, she--she looked right at me, and she didn’t even know me.”(Three years after Cosette, who fought as Captain America in a different lifetime, wakes up from the ice, she meets the one person she never expected to see again.)





	if not, winter

**Author's Note:**

> I've watched Winter Soldier a billion times, so it only makes sense to write an Eposette au. You don't have to know anything about Captain America (or see the movies) to read this, but it does help. For added angst, listen to the [ End of the Line ](https://open.spotify.com/track/0AjUtlCZjuOWnpK0fowrtW?si=aI-5kn6tQGuHN1Efw6TThg) soundtrack. Title comes from Anne Carson's translation of Sappho (fragment 22).

The pain in Cosette’s chest feels like the ice she’s been trying so hard to forget, filling every nerve and every space between her atoms until it’s getting hard to breathe. She can tell, in some distant part of her mind, that Enjolras is talking to her; she sees his lips move, the crease forming between his brows, the hand he reaches out to comfort her. Beside him, Grantaire shifts uncomfortably. 

 

The bright spot of blood, visible against the stark black of his jacket, is what brings Cosette back to the present. 

 

“Hey,” she says softly, placing a hand on his knee. “You okay?”

 

Grantaire doesn’t flinch, keeps his unnerving steel gaze. “You’re the one we should be worried about.” 

 

He doesn’t answer Cosette’s question. She’s learned not to expect answers by now.

 

“What happened back there?” Enjolras asks. It’s as close to agreeing with Grantaire as he’s ever going to get. If this were any other time, Cosette would probably feel happier. But she still feels that ice creeping through her veins, and she can’t think of anything except for Eponine.

 

Cosette tries to slide her thumb through the device - handcuff, whatever it is - keeping her hands locked. It’s a good, temporary distraction. “It was her,” she whispers, voice raw with the grief she’s been trying to push down. “It was her, I know, she--she looked right at me, and she didn’t even know me.”

 

“Eponine?” Grantaire asks. The name sounds strangely familiar on his tongue, like he’s said it a hundred times before. The great thing about their friendship is he doesn’t stick his nose in Cosette’s business, and Cosette doesn’t pry about his past.

 

Enjolras lets out a quiet  _ oh _ . His head hits the wall of the van with a soft thud.

 

“You need a doctor,” Cosette says absently, nodding in Grantaire’s general direction. 

 

Grantaire’s still unfazed. He just wraps an arm around his waist, the only sign of discomfort he’s ever shown around her. “It can wait. Finding out what the hell happened is more important.”

 

“ _ Eponine _ ,” Cosette whispers, testing it out. Her mouth forms around a word she’s so used to saying, though it feels like a lifetime ago she last said it. The familiarity must stay in her bones. “I thought--she died. I  _ saw  _ her die, I--”

 

Enjolras leans forward to entwine her fingers with his own. Most of the time he’s cold and distant, and his marble has sleek, sharp edges, but sometimes, he’s warm and soft and so human, it throws Cosette off-balance. 

 

“It wasn't your fault,” he says earnestly. 

 

Cosette knows that already. Marius told her the exact same thing that night, so long ago. He held her hand as she cried, poured glass after glass of alcohol that never helped ease the pain. He kissed her, even when he knew he wasn't who she wanted him to be. But putting the blame on herself isn’t something Cosette can just stop doing. She’s going to keep doing that, because Eponine was under her watch, her care, and she--she couldn’t save her. 

 

“It’s been so long,” Cosette whispers, instead of the feelings she can’t find the words for. She doesn’t bother wiping away the tear that rolls down her cheek. 

 

No one says anything for a while. The ride is bumpy and jolting, and there’s no distinct view from the windows, so Cosette can’t even tell where they are or where they’re headed. This is all her fault, too, she knows. If she hadn’t froze, if she hadn’t gotten caught in those damn feelings, if she had just managed to get on with her mission, they wouldn’t be here. Grantaire would be getting the medical care he denies needing. They wouldn’t be in this mess.

 

Enjolras glances at Grantaire, who makes a face and tries to cover up his wound, but the blood keeps seeping through his shirt and jacket. His hands are stained a deep red. 

 

“Hey,” Enjolras says, turning to face the Hydra guards stuck in the back with them. “He needs a doctor.”

 

One of the guards threatens him with a baton. It nearly grazes the tip of Enjolras’s shoulder, and just as Cosette starts to think he’s actually going to get electrocuted, the guard swiftly uses the baton on the other two guards, and then takes off a heavy helmet.

 

Enjolras huffs and rolls his eyes. “Took you long enough.”

 

“I would’ve helped you sooner if I could,” Combeferre says, brushing back his matted hair. He flashes Cosette a sympathetic smile. “Risk of being caught and all that. Come on, let's get out of here.”

 

No one makes a move to actually escape. Grantaire keeps holding himself, pointedly ignoring the wound. Enjolras has this look on his face like there's something he really wants to say but doesn't dare to. And Cosette? The only thing she can focus on is that moment when Eponine's mask fell, clattered on the ground, and all time seemed to stop. It  _ was _ Eponine, Cosette's positive of that. She'd recognize her best friend anywhere, even with lifeless eyes and a metal arm. 

 

The next time Cosette looks up, everyone else is watching her. She looks back down, loose hair tumbling in front of her face. 

 

“Even when I had nothing, I had Eponine,” she says. 

 

Enjolras purses his lips, and his voice is gentle when he whispers, “I'm sorry.”

______________________________

 

Combeferre manages to sneak them away before the rest of the Hydra agents find out. He takes them all the way to an abandoned building somewhere in the woods. The rational side of Cosette's brain is trying to take in and analyze as much information as it can, but she's too concerned with replaying that one moment to focus on anything. 

 

“It was supposed to be a standard op,” Grantaire grumbles, as Combeferre points a doctor in his direction. 

 

Combeferre grimaces. He gestures for them to follow him down a dimly little concrete hallway, and just as Cosette thinks today couldn't get any weirder, she's suddenly face-to-face with Musichetta, who definitely does not look dead. She raises an eyebrow when they walk in, one hand resting suspiciously on a briefcase. 

 

“We thought you were dead,” Enjolras splutters. 

 

Musichetta snorts. “I just went off the grid. I thought you'd find me sooner. It's about damn time.” She nods at Cosette. “Captain.”

 

Combeferre takes the seat beside Musichetta after ushering Grantaire and the doctor to the little table in the corner, which is set up with emergency medical supplies. “We found Hydra--”

 

Grantaire rolls his eyes. “No shit.”

 

“--and they've apparently been inside S.H.I.E.L.D. for the past seventy years,” Combeferre continues, not missing a beat.

 

Cosette sucks in a sharp breath. That ice is back in her chest, dull and cold and throwing her into a throbbing pain. 

 

Enjolras speaks before she gets a chance to put together her thoughts. “Makes sense. Only S.H.I.E.L.D. knew about our op, there was no other way for Hydra to get that information.”

 

No one mentions Eponine. It's still too raw for Cosette to deal with. 

 

Combeferre nods. “They're planning something far worse than a hit.”

 

“Project Insight,” Musichetta clarifies. She taps her hand against the edge of the table. “We designed weaponized helicarriers as a method of neutralizing threats, but Hydra’s going to use them to wipe out millions of people at a time, to achieve their world order or whatever their bullshit agenda is.”

 

“So we have to destroy the helicarriers,” Enjolras says. His arms are crossed and he's started pacing. “Cut off their connection to whoever's controlling the target system?”

 

Combeferre shakes his head. “It's based on an algorithm already employed in their computers. We have to replace their software with our own.” He opens the briefcase and swivels it around to show them three identical chips. “Each helicarrier has a central computer system, which sends signals back to Hydra. If we can sneak one of these in, we'll be able to access and shut down their mainframe.”

 

“Captain?” 

 

It takes Cosette a moment to realize she's being addressed. She shakes her head and turns to Musichetta. “Hmm?”

 

“Are you up for the job?” Musichetta asks. 

 

Cosette nods solemnly. 

______________________________

 

_ 1940 _

 

_ “I wanted to be with you,” Eponine says, trudging up the steps, only a few inches behind Cosette. “You should’a called.” _

 

_ The funeral was a quiet and peaceful affair,exactly like Cosette knows her father would have liked. The grief tugs at her heart, still new, and she tries to push it down, ignore it, pretend she's okay. It's easier to deal with pain when you're not preoccupied with it.  _

 

_ Cosette sighs. “I know, I'm sorry. It's just, after the funeral--” She fishes in the pocket of her dress for her key, and Eponine hands her the spare under the doormat. “I had to be alone, Ep.” _

 

_ “I know. The thing is--” Eponine leans forward and claps a warm hand on her shoulder. “You don't have to. I'm with you till the end of the line.” _

______________________________

 

“She's going to be there, you know.” Grantaire shoves his hands in his pockets and looks at Cosette, tilting his head to the side. 

 

Cosette can't look at anything but the expanse of forest around her. It's comforting; it reminds her of her days in the war, spent raiding Hydra bases and collecting intelligence, and--and then coming back to wherever they were camping, back to Marius, the one man who made Cosette feel normal while everyone else idolized her as Captain America. 

 

God, she misses Marius. He was one hell of an agent - one of Eponine's colleagues, when she went to Britain as an SOE recruit - and a loyal friend, and quite possibly the second love of Cosette's life. The first will always be Eponine, brainwashed assassin or not. 

 

After briefing them on their new op, Grantaire had taken Cosette aside and told her everything he knew about the so-called Winter Soldier. Soviet assassin credited with over two dozen kills, a ghost story in the intelligence community - Eponine, resurrected from the dead and trained to be nothing more than a machine. It breaks Cosette's heart, because she knows that if she'd just been a little more careful, she could've saved Eponine from this fate. 

 

“She won't recognize you,” Grantaire continues. 

 

Cosette grits her teeth. “She has to. I'll make sure.”

 

“I don't know.” Grantaire pauses, glances at her. He has a tendency to stop talking for long periods of time. “Cosette, if you have no other choice, you'll have to--you can't save her.”

 

“I have to try.” Cosette's voice sounds foreign to her, thick with tears. She never lets herself cry these days, and the sudden rush of tears feels strange. “I don't think I'd be able to stop her.”

 

Grantaire doesn't say anything else. 

______________________________

 

_ 1945 _

 

_ Cosette's panicking. She feels her heart race, picking up its pace with every thought, every word that Marius says. She's made up her mind already.  _

 

_ “Please, Cosette. Think this through.” Marius sounds like he's crying. “Don't do it. We can--there has to be another way, you don't--” _

 

_ Cosette takes a deep breath. The ice beneath her just keeps getting closer and closer. She tilts the plane down. “It's the only way.” _

 

_ Marius sniffles. “But you promised, we… we were going to go dancing. Friday, eight o’clock. You promised.” _

 

_ “And I won't be late,” Cosette reassures him, even though that dread she fears is sinking in her gut, and she knows she's not coming out of this alive.  _

 

_ The closer she gets to the ice, to her impending fate, the more she thinks about Marius. And Eponine. She remembers doing the trial, her tour around the country, the silly show costume she was given. She remembers Marius flying her down to rescue Eponine, who had been captured alongside the 107th, from Hydra. She remembers their missions, and nights spent dancing drunkenly at local bars. She remembers the feeling of Eponine's breath against her neck as they swayed, and she remembers kissing Marius before he let her go on the plane. Stopping Hydra’s bombs, that's her mission now. She put her life on the line the second she agreed to the trial, and now-- _

 

_ Marius is babbling about dancing and dates, but most of his words are swallowed up by his tears and the bad connection. Cosette takes another deep breath. She promised Eponine till the end of the line, and now she gets to fulfill that. She can't keep Eponine waiting.  _

 

_ “Marius,” Cosette says, as the ice gets closer and closer, faster and faster. “I--” _

 

_ The last thing she sees before the darkness is the deep brown of Eponine's eyes.  _

______________________________

 

Cosette should’ve realized how strangely easy this has been. She should’ve noticed the suspicious lack of Hydra agents when she and Grantaire had gone on the helicarriers, the fact that the bright colours on her so-called “stealth” uniform  - which was still less flashy than the show costume, and definitely more comfortable - didn’t draw any attention. But she had been so focused on completing the task, that nothing seemed out-of-place. 

 

Cosette and Grantaire managed to disconnect two of the helicarriers, and then the inevitable happened. Cosette’s the only one who made it to the third helicarrier - while they were still on the landing dock, Eponine had arrived, and she… Cosette doesn’t even know what she did to Grantaire. And now she’s on the helicarrier, facing Eponine herself.

 

_ The Winter Soldier _ , Cosette reminds herself. 

 

Neither of them says anything; they don’t need to. Cosette tightens her grip on the chip in her gloved hand, tilts her head down. Eponine flexes her metal arm.

 

“Please,” Cosette says. “Don’t make me do this.”

 

She knows if Grantaire was here too, he’d have no problem killing Eponine to finish the mission. Or perhaps he would. There are a lot of things about him Cosette doesn’t know, and why he seemed to know Eponine’s name is one of them. 

 

Eponine’s steel gaze is unwavering. 

 

Cosette takes a deep breath. Realistically, she knows she has no choice. Eponine needs to be put down with the rest of Hydra, and she’s also blocking the one part of the helicarrier Cosette has to get to. She runs towards Eponine, ignoring the thought that’s telling her not to, and swings her shield. It hits Eponine’s metal arm with a loud bang, throwing Cosette off-balance. She staggers back, hitting the railing, and lifts her shield just as Eponine aims to punch her. 

 

Cosette always knew Eponine was a great soldier, but knowing that and having to fight her are two very different things. Cosette never thought she’d have to do the latter, but here she is.

 

Cosette tries to get past Eponine, but she’s knocked back, and she tumbles down, catching herself at the last second on a large, slanted slab of metal jutting out from the center of the helicarrier. The chip falls out of her grasp. She scrambles to her feet to reach it, but then Eponine jumps down and kicks her aside. 

 

Cosette falls off the metal and lands on the helicarrier’s glass floor, right against a metal support beam. Eponine has the chip now, though it’s probably useless to her. But she still has it, and that means Cosette has to somehow get rid of her to take it back. Just as she gets up again, she hears the familiar whir of her shield - Eponine must’ve thrown it - and she ducks, narrowly missing it. 

 

“Drop it,” Cosette pants. 

 

Eponine only scowls and lunges for her, the unmistakable glint of a knife in her right hand. Cosette tries to keep her away, winces every time she has to hurt her, but Eponine still manages to drive the knife in her shoulder. Cosette bites her lip to stop herself from letting out a cry, and just reaches for the chip. Eponine’s skilled, gracefully dodging every blow Cosette aims at her. 

 

But Cosette’s skilled too. She does have army experience, after all. She attempts to trip Eponine, and once she’s distracted, Cosette locks her free arm behind her back and forces her down on her knees. Eponine lets out a hiss.

 

“Drop it,” Cosette says. She pushes on Eponine’s arm harder. “Drop it.”

 

Eponine keeps trying to fight back, struggling against Cosette’s grip, so Cosette flips them over, arms crossed over Eponine’s chest to hold her down. Eponine tries to wriggle away, but Cosette’s got her mind set on getting back the chip, and she won’t stop until she does. Eponine raises an arm to push her away; Cosette just traps her arm between her legs. It tugs at Cosette’s heart to have to do this, but she has no other choice. Just like Grantaire said. Perhaps she’s stronger than she thinks, if she’s able to put aside any familiarity. 

 

Eventually, Eponine goes slack in Cosette’s grip, and the chip falls from her hand. Cosette gently rolls her over and scrambles to get it before Eponine wakes up. She gets to the helicarrier’s computer system, puts in the code to access the mainframe, and then--

 

She feels the blood pool in her uniform before she realizes she’s been shot. It hurts a lot less than she thought it would; it’s mostly numbing shock, spreading through her body until she feels like she’s back under the ice. When she looks over her shoulder, she sees Eponine’s cold eyes, and the gun pointed at her.

 

Eponine doesn’t remember her. She can’t let her own memories get in the way.

 

Cosette grits her teeth, ignores the pain flaring up, and manages to replace the chip before she collapses against the cool metal. 

 

“Got it,” she says, tapping her earpiece. Poor Combeferre’s probably been waiting ages for her to do this. 

 

Combeferre’s reply is short. “Get out of there, Cap.”

 

Cosette knows the plan, knows what Combeferre’s planning to do. Once all three helicarriers are connected to his software, he’ll set their targets to each other, and they’ll blow up, like a midday fireworks show. If she wanted to, Cosette could leave right now, before it all happens. She could go before she has to lose Eponine again. But she doesn’t want to go, not yet. She told Grantaire she has to try and save Eponine, and that’s exactly what she’s going to do.

 

“Cap?” Combeferre sounds worried. “You have to leave. I’m--”

 

Cosette doesn’t reply. She sucks in a sharp breath, pulls herself up against the railing, and then - the helicarrier shakes, and one of the support beams falls, trapping Eponine underneath it. Cosette’s out of time. She could die any moment, right here - but she doesn’t try and leave. She winces as she jumps down, landing a few feets from Eponine just as the helicarrier gets hit again. It’s falling apart around her, bits of exploded metal and glass cover the floor.

 

She’s done her mission. Now, she has to save Eponine.

 

Eponine glances at Cosette and tries to push against the beam, but it’s too heavy for one person to lift. If they work together, she can get out. Cosette squats down and pushes the beam as high as she can get it, watches Eponine to make sure she gets out safely. 

 

“Eponine,” Cosette says, moving to grab her shield. Eponine twitches, turns to face Cosette. “You know me.”

 

“No I don’t,” Eponine says. She lunges at Cosette, but Cosette hits her with her shield and sends her stumbling back. 

 

She doesn’t want to fight Eponine, but Eponine’s not exactly making it easy for her. Then again, the fight is unfair is she’s equipped with an indestructible weapon, and Eponine’s only got her metal arm. She should at least make this fair.

 

“Your name,” Cosette pants, raising the shield to defend herself, though Eponine hasn’t made a move yet, “is Eponine Thenardier--”

 

“Shut up!” Eponine screams. She slaps Cosette across the face, and she catches herself on both hands. 

 

The glass floor is starting to break as more explosions rattle the helicarrier. She lets out a quiet huff and gets back up, holds the shield over a patch of broken glass. If she looks through it, she can see the river below, clouded over by hazy smoke. 

 

“I’m not going to fight you.” Cosette looks at Eponine and drops the shield. It clatters against the helicarrier before disappearing. “You’re my friend.”

 

Eponine’s shaking, her lips and hands twitching as if she’s about to cry. “You’re my mission,” she growls.

 

When she pushes Cosette to the floor, Cosette doesn’t try and stop her. If she has to die today, she’d rather do it by Eponine’s side. She wants to spend her last moments with her best friend, even if Eponine can’t remember her. 

 

“You’re my mission,” Eponine repeats, voice strained. She accentuates every word with a punch. 

 

Cosette knows her face is battered. She can feel the blood running down her face, drying on her uniform. She has a massive headache, but none of it matters. Because after so much time fighting each other, Eponine’s hesitant. Her hand is raised, aimed to throw another punch, but she’s not actually doing anything. The hand gripping Cosette’s uniform slackens against her.

 

“Then finish it,” Cosette says. Her voice sounds strange, weak and muffled by blood. She looks at Eponine’s eyes. “‘Cause I’m with you till the end of the line.”

 

Eponine’s eyes go wide. Her hands freeze. Cosette wants to say she’s remembering something now, that perhaps she can save Eponine after all, but the helicarrier is hit again before she can say anything, and she falls through the broken floor, one hand subconsciously reaching for Eponine.

 

Perhaps she imagines it, but she sees Eponine reach for her too, and when she hits the river, cold seeping into her bones, she feels a strong, metal hand pull her back out. This time, before she submits to the darkness, she sees Eponine’s lifeless eyes staring at her, mouth covered by the Winter Soldier mask.

______________________________

 

When Cosette wakes up, she’s lying in a hospital bed, stitches on her face and an iv in her arm. Grantaire and Enjolras are in her room, staring at each other from across her bed. Enjolras has a magazine open, but Cosette’s pretty sure he’s not actually reading it.

 

“Hey,” she says.

 

Grantaire’s eyes snap up to her and he smiles, just the barest hint of a grin tugging at his lips. “Hey yourself.”

 

“How do you feel?” Enjolras asks. He closes the magazine and sets it on the table beside the bed.

 

Cosette sits up, rubs a hand over her face, and sighs. “I could be better.”

 

“Listen,” Grantaire says. He’s serious again, any hint of that smile gone. “We tried to find her, Cosette. The only thing we have is an old Soviet file, but it won’t lead us to where she is now. We’re still trying. I’m sorry.”

 

Cosette looks down at the file in Grantaire’s hands. She doesn’t know what he’s sorry about. “She saved me, didn’t she? From the river?”

 

Neither of them say anything. Cosette supposes that’s a good enough answer. She distantly remembers being pulled out, left on the bank, and it just seems right that Eponine was the one who saved her. 

 

“We’ll go with you, if you’re looking for her,” Enjolras says. He nods at Grantaire, then looks back at Cosette. 

 

Cosette smiles, a silent  _ thank you _ , and reads the file.

______________________________

 

_ 1944 _

 

_ Cosette doesn’t look up when she hears footsteps in the bar. She’s all alone; the place was bombed a few days ago, most of the entrance is blocked by rubble, and she told her team not to follow her here. Some things are easier to deal with when you’re alone. _

 

_ “Cosette?” It’s Marius. Of course it is.  _

 

_ Cosette lifts her glass to signal where she is, and then downs it. She’s already finished four bottles of whiskey, and none of them had any affect on her. Alcohol was the only thing she thought could ease her pain, and now she has nothing. _

 

_ “I can’t get drunk,” Cosette says. “Did you know that?” _

 

_ Marius pulls a chair up to her table. He offers a sympathetic smile. “We thought that would be one of the side effects. I’m sorry.” _

 

_ Cosette doesn’t have anything to say to that, so she just scowls and pours herself another drink. Her uniform feels too tight, too silly, too burdensome. She carries the weight of America on her shoulders, and the only person she cares about is Eponine. Eponine, who she let die, who she watched fall off a train, who she couldn’t save. _

 

_ Marius rests a hand on her arm. “It wasn't your fault,” he says, voice gentle. “Agent Thenardier knew the stakes when she went on this mission. It was her choice.” _

 

_ Cosette doesn’t bother blinking away the tears, lets them roll down her cheeks. “She was my responsibility.” _

______________________________

 

She gets released from the hospital after four days. Musichetta and Combeferre came to visit her twice, reassured her that Hydra’s been taken care of. S.H.I.E.L.D. as they know it is gone, but Cosette can’t find it in herself to feel as sad about that as Enjolras is. She’s only been out of ice for three years, she didn’t have time to get familiar. 

 

Grantaire was with her the most, though. He usually just sat beside her bed, reading a magazine or a book, and he rarely tried to make conversation. The other great thing about their friendship is that Grantaire understands Cosette sometimes needs to be with herself, alone in her mind. He’s always respected her boundaries.

 

It feels strange to come back to an empty apartment, knowing the world isn’t the same. Everything feels familiar and yet so foreign - Cosette keeps remembering the apartment she used to share with Eponine before the war. It was a nice little place in Brooklyn, and they had friendly neighbours and a street cat that often came to visit, and it felt more like home than this place will ever feel. Home will always be wherever Eponine is. 

 

Cosette sighs, throws her jacket on the nearest surface, and flicks on the light--

 

And sees Eponine, lounging on her couch, metal arm glinting. She stares at Cosette, unblinking, mouth pressed in a hard line. 

 

“I--” Cosette’s breath hitches in her throat. She doesn’t know what to say, what to do, what to think. If Eponine’s here, that means… she must remember something. 

 

Eponine holds her hand up. “You called me Eponine.”

 

“Yes,” Cosette says. She takes a tentative step forward.

 

“It sounded familiar,” Eponine continues. She frowns, sounding the words out. “I remember you, I think. Only bits and pieces here and there, nothing complete. But--” She pauses, bites her lip, looks up at Cosette with wide brown eyes. There’s unadulterated fear in them, like she’s afraid to say the wrong thing, and it makes her so  _ human _ . “I want your help to remember who I am.”

 

Cosette smiles.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on [ tumblr ](http://epo-nine.tumblr.com). Comments and kudos are always appreciated!


End file.
